It'd be easy to mistake the Eyehategod/Brutal Truth/Nachtmystium/Black Anvil/Tombs throw down as a full on assault on the audience. And while in a sense it was, to the metal fans in attendance, it was a more of a big party. Songs like "Sister Fucker", "High on Hate", and "Filled With Secrets" don't outwardly point to a celebratory vibe, but in the context of that show, beers were hoisted and invisible oranges were raised.

Tombs kicked off the evening at a ridiculously early 6PM with a set that seemed to be filled with new tunes making full use of their new guitarist. It was my first experience with Tombs as a four piece, and the addition definitely adds a fuller sound.

Black Anvil followed with a set that also relied heavily on newer material from their upcoming Triumvirate. The band's relative cooling to the the live stage in 2010 (to write and record mostly) meant a heaping dose of brutality... of course then again, maybe it's the whole "don't know what you've got, til it's gone" factor. (I missed their set opening for Immortal, and only caught them briefly at Scion Rock Fest)

Nachtmystium was up next, and aside from brainchild Blake Judd, the band was sporting a wholly new lineup made up of members of Lord Mantis and a new guitar player (Jeff Wilson recently left the band). Their set contained little of the controversial elements from their new LP Addicts (meaning, no keyboards, overly-compressed snares, etc) and instead concentrated on the melodic black metal blasting. "High on Hate" from the new LP sound particularly impressive live.

Brutal Truth followed, pulling from across their groovy grind catalogue, as barefooted vocalist Kevin Sharp barked out vocals at the crowd. Their set was good, but I found my eyes glued to drummer Richard Hoek for almost the entire set. Hoek is infinitely watchable/listenable, as he alternates between precision blasting, goofy faces, and making ridiculous remarks at the crowd.

After all that lightning-quick pummel, it was nice to have Eyehategod on stage to take it nice and slow. The band pulled out all of the classics for their shortened set (a shade over an hour), and whipped the crowd into a fever pitch. Pit action, stage dives, and sing-alongs were a-plenty, and the band seemed genuinely more excited to be in Brooklyn than they were just seven months prior. Incredible set.

More Eyehategod dates HERE. Tons of pics, and some videos from the Brooklyn show, below...

Comments (10)

What a killer bill. Brutal Truth needs to do a tour where they play Extreme Conditions Demand Extreme Responses. May as well get on the "playing the full album live" band wagon. Not a bad wagon to jump on though. I'd rather hear any bands classic full length , then new filler material.

couple stray thoughts:
-Never been a fan of tombs live with one guitar. Couldn't get there early enough to see them but really excited to hear they added a second guitarist for live shows. I want their live set to equal the expansiveness of their recorded work

-My third time seeing Nachtmystium. I love that band but never really enjoyed them live. The Europa show was really amazing. Is Blake Judd a big ass dick? Why can't he keep a lineup together? Also I would love if they did a tour with Sanford Parker and added the keyboards/sound design into the live show.

Nachtmystium is looking for a synth/electronics person for the live band, and hope to be touring as a five-piece by the end of the year. Sanford seems unlikely to hit the road with anybody but Minsk, since he keeps pretty busy as an engineer, but who knows?

Last time they played a much longer set on a week night when i had to be up in the morning. This time i was wasted and it was like coming off heroin when i realised that was it.

2nd I was speaking to these penises a couple of weeks ago who were trying to intimate that Eyehategod had been co-opted by hipsters, basically saying oh they are popular now, and raising an eyebrow, they are big in Williamsburg they were saying. Well suck a dick motherfuckers only hipsetrs go off good metal cos hipsters are into it. Eyehategod fucking rule!

I assume they are big in Williamsburg because that seems to be one of the only places left in the city that regluarly hosts these types of shows. Who cares who likes them, I've liked them for years and if that keeps them around and playing, so be it.